And so it begins...Another kick-arse year of Wills Point High School Varsity Football. Tonight is their first game...at home against Athens. Kick off time is 7:30 pm. Of course the player to watch this year and every year until he graduates is #60 - Spencer Jennings who is starting at Offensive Right Guard.
Man, I am so pumped! I love going to the games...cheering our team (mostly spenner) on to VICTORY! We've got a little group going tonight, Clay and myself, of course, and Shawn (clay's bro), and his wife Kerry and their daughter (and my chum) Brittany. That's right, we are starting the evening at Tino's, our local mexican food restaurant, where we will enjoy a wonderfully unhealthy meal and then it's on to Wills Point to get cozy in the stands and wait for kick off. This year, as in years past, Spen will be playing in the game then performing at half time with the Awesome Wills Point Marching Band. He just takes off his jersey, then his pads, then throws his jersey back on and lines up...ready to perform. Another added bonus, is that his darling girlfriend Emily is a Varsity Cheerleader so it's gonna be a night full of entertainment for all! Alas, Clay has to endure yet another year of my incessant, over-the-top, enthusiastic, loud and animated cheering of my "Baby Boy Spen". I don't bring my royal blue painted, be-ribboned cowbell, emblazoned with the #60 anymore. (Spen won't let me) In it's place is this adorable hand-sized Football Helmet "Shaker". I decorated it with the WP and Spen's #60. Man I go to town with this thing. It's not as disruptive as the cowbell...(Spen okay'd it)

If you could just see the huge smile that is on my face right now....The anticipation is almost more than I can bear!
I hear thunder and raindrops....dangit!!! Hopefully it stops before the game. I just might have to get out my Hello Kitty Raincoat...just in case.
Alrighty, gotta head now, I'll let ya'll know how Wills Point does tonight...

GO TIGERS !!! *** GO #60 !!!

Today was "Continuing Education" (CE) Day for me. I am normally off on Friday's. Now that the powers that be have made it mandatory for me to have the credential RDA (Registered Dental Assistant) I have to keep up with a certain number of CE hours to keep my certifications current. Okay, so today's course was "Teamwork and communication in the Dental Office". The speaker was Bruce Manchion.
In my almost 25 years in dentistry, I have heard just about every practice management consultant that's worth hearing. They all really say the same things, give the same recommendations, they just add their own little twist to make it their own. Bruce was really good. I'm really impressed. Most speakers try to stay pretty neutral as not to piss off staff or doctors...Bruce didn't take sides and he didn't pull any punches. He won me over right away by starting off the lecture citing a scene from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. He tried to quote Yoda...bless his heart. I give him props for trying at least. He tried to use the quote: "Do or Do Not, There is No Try".
He, instead said: "There is No Try, There is Only Do". Of course in my head, I quoted Yoda correctly, even using my very bad Yoda voice. He was talking about different causes for conversation "tune-out"...he used a term that I thought was classic and I will be re-using it...
some people have the communication skills that act as a...(here it is) "Verbal Sedative". Isn't that great? Another thing that he talked about that totally hit home with me was the different "Comfort Zones of Learning". I totally related with this. Here's the gist of it: Three comfort zones: I: Home Zone, you feel 100% comfortable (Lately, that's where I stay) II: Learning Zone, you are in a situation where you don't feel in control of the situation and you feel nervous. III: Panic Zone, that's where you feel you've lost all sense and control and just want to run away from the situation. He said that most learning occurs between the last two zones...I believe that. I know that I've been in situations where I felt I was in over my head, and when I persevered and got through it...I was always, without fail, better for it. I won't bore you with the specifics of his lecture, (don't want to be accused of "Verbal Sedation") although he was able to keep my attention for the whole 6.5 hours. One side note...Of the 150 attendees to this lecture, yours truly was of course chosen for the one and only "I need a volunteer". So, up on stage I pranced, (with hair that needed new highlights in a bad way) as we proceeded to demonstrate "Interdependence". He had me stand next to him, about 4 feet apart with my arm outstretched and elbow locked, palm up towards him, as he did the same thing. Then he told me to let myself fall toward his hand. So I did and we ended up tilting toward the other with our palms together...supporting one another. and.....scene. My big debut.

Okay, so, I've been baking cakes since about 4:30 this afternoon, it's midnight now. Clay's Aunt Tommie and Uncle Ronny are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary tomorrow and I'm making the cake. I've got my "Lolivision" up full-blast, I hope the cake turns out as good as it looks in my mind...They wanted an Italian Cream Cake. I did a practice cake last weekend and it was AWESOME, if I do say so myself. I don't usually have much luck with cakes from scratch, but this one is prolly the best cake I've ever tasted. The cake needs to feed about 30 people. I'm making a two tiered cake, the bottom tier will be a 14" square cake and the top tier is a 12" hexagon cake. I'll post a picture of it.

Okay, gonna end with something you've got to watch. Kudo's to Spen for getting me hooked...

Closed minded people (CMP) drive me totally insane!!! What's worse, are the people that won't consider anything beyond what they believe. You know the type, they actually become visually distressed right before your eyes. The slight head shake, widening of the eyes then you see the lips purse and then comes the narrowing of the eyes as they realize you actually have the nerve and the audacity to think for yourself. And, you have it all wrong!!!!!

LOLI-ISM: Everyone's different...and that's okay.

I know CMP's are just a fact of life. You can't get away from them. I try to be accommodating and patient when I come across them. Which, in my line of work that is like....ALWAYS! I just smile and nod, possibly throw out a "Huh, well, that's one way to look at it". Mostly it's just "Huh". I find that if said with a nod and a smile, it comes off non-committal. Possibly could be construed as slight agreement even. Most of the time it shuts them the hell up. Of course in my mind I'm screaming "What an ass-wipe!" Of course those that go out of their way to look down at me and get all judgemental on me...well, then I get all John Locke and wanna yell "Don't tell me what I can't do!" But alas, I just throw out a "Huh"....but I don't smile or nod! That'll show em!

Are CMP's like that because they are afraid of being wrong? They make everyone else wrong just so they don't seem ignorant? That's the problem with the world today...nobody is tolerant any more. Everyone is a control freak "It's MY way or the highway"! AArgh! Just so frustrating!

Breast or Bottle....Power Rangers or Bibleman....Sex Education or Luck....Horde or Alliance....Whatever, people! Life is trial and error. If I'm wrong, well hopefully I'll learn from my mistake. That's how we grow. What's saddest of all, to me, is the fact that most of the CMP's out there would like you to believe that they "Just have your best interest at heart" BBBBULLSHIT! It's not going to kill YOU, really, it won't even affect your life in the least if I let my kid watch Power Rangers! Whatever works for you is great. I respect your decisions. May not work for me but hey....
"Everyone's different and that's okay"

It's time for... LOLIPINION

I got a couple of movies in from Netflix...Aguirre The Wrath of God by Werner Herzog and Grave of the Fireflies by Isao Takahata. Thanks for the recommendations Brad!

Anyhoo, first and foremost, I absolutely LOVED Grave of the Fireflies. Typically I go for the happy, uplifting stories and this movie is neither. Awesome story, just very tragic. It depicts a brother and sister orphaned toward the end of WWII in Japan and the daily struggle and strife to survive on their own. You feel their hunger as they starve, you feel the hopelessness as they are pushed aside by everyone. They are truly alone and no one cares. It really tells a vivid story of the real victims of war...the children. Very emotional movie. It's considered an "Anti-War" movie and I truly agree. Definite must-see. Again...I'm one that doesn't tend to watch movies that make me cry or that teach me things. (Dumb & Dumber-love it!) I highly recommend this movie.

Okay, now for Aguirre Wrath of God. This is a story of an expedition in search of El Dorado, "the city of gold". The opening scene is very impressive as this long band of conquistadors with slaves trek down this mountain with canons, horses and weapons...in full armor. The movie does well depicting how arduous the journey is. In the movie you watch the main character, Aguirre, slipping almost joyously into madness. Watch as he looses his grip on reality. It was almost like watching a chess game to see him manipulate the people around him, doing and saying whatever to make the fantasy in his mind real. I'm not even going to try to analyze this one. It's way beyond me....plus, truly, I'm not that deep. Quote from Wikipedia: "The film opened to widespread critical acclaim and quickly developed a large international cult film following. Several critics have declared the film a masterpiece, and it has appeared on Time Magazine's list of "All Time 100 Best Films". Aguirre’s visual style and narrative elements would have a strong influence on Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 film Apocalypse Now." This movie....not a Loli-Movie. I can believe that the film opened big...Masterpiece? I don't know about that. It's almost like, people will see this movie because of the whole "cult" thing. I'm sure it's a masterpiece in it's own right...

I could be wrong...it's just my Lolipinion.

Toodles

So sorry for my last "bummer" post, butya gotta take the good with the bad around here. Let's make this a more positive post. What could be more positive than Hello Kitty?

For those of you out there that don't know it, I Love me some Hello Kitty. She is the symbol for all that is good in this world. 99.9% of all men out there would beg to differ, I'm sure. It's just because they are trying to hold on to their "Man Card". One look at this picture and you can tell that even cats love them some Hello Kitty...I think it's just simply adorable. Okay, even I have to admit, that it should be considered cruelty to animals to make a cat or even dog wear that hat. Now tell me this....did the giggle you got from looking at this picture make up for my last post? Okay, well, I think it does. Now we are "even-steven".

Alllll-Righty, then. Where was I? Oh, that's right, my love for Hello Kitty. I own a lot of things "Hello Kitty". I just think she's cute. Maybe I'm making up for something I missed as a little girl...or that I live in a household where I am the only female...I dunno. I'm like one of the easiest people to buy a gift for. Anything Hello Kitty, makes me giggle. These are my checks and I have matching address labels too. Here's the toaster that Spencer gave me for Christmas last year. I love that the toast really has Hello Kitty's face on it. This year, Spencer gave me the Hello Kitty waffle iron. It makes mini Hello Kitty waffles. They are perfect for dipping in syrup. Then of course I have a Hello Kitty comforter, body pillow, slippers and another pillow for when I read in bed. My computer is as Hello Kitty as I can make it...I have this affinity with office supplies/stationery. I send note cards and thank you cards like nobodies business. All Hello Kitty. All of my folders and notebooks are Hello Kitty...Thank you Target! I have Hello Kitty Markers, stamps, pens...my desk light is Hello Kitty. I even managed to find a rain coat that is Hello Kitty. Thank you EBAY!
Of course I still don't have everything I want yet...here are a few items
this car would be nice...or, I've always wanted my very own Airstream travel trailer...
Notice that even the inside is decorated Hello Kitty! Soothing isn't it?
Now, I don't play the guitar, but I would be willing to take it up if I had a guitar like this super-cool Hello Kitty Guitar! I don't think you could ever possibly sound
bad, playing a kick arse
guitar like this one!

I know that I have got to have you smiling by now...So do you get the idea that I am "sorta" into Hello Kitty?

Well, I think you get the picture...

Toodles!

My mother has been on my mind a whole lot for some reason these past few weeks. (Mom passed away Jan. 06) I guess I've been doing some soul-searching and such...wondering why I am the way I am. I'm still dealing, I guess, with the fact that my mom and I never got along. Of course now it's too late and it's all behind me. But not really. I feel like there is a part of me that is
broken or lost...yearning to know what I did to make her dislike me so much. I tried so hard to please her, but truly, nothing I did was ever good enough. If I got an "A" she complained that I should have gotten an "A+". I get the whole psychology crapola...it will just make me try harder...it's for my own good. That attitude continued into my adulthood. I tried so hard to be a perfect person, wife, mother and all she did was complain, find fault and degrade me. I can't tell you how many times she disowned for from the family for years at a time. When I married the boys' dad, my family did not even attend the wedding. His father walked me down the aisle. As a result, I think that I have been on a never-ending quest for approval from everyone/anyone. All I really should care about is how I feel about me, myself and I...

When I hear this song, it makes me cry, cause it reminds me of my relationship with my mother.

"Because of You"
I will not make the same mistakes that you did
I will not let myself
Cause my heart so much misery
I will not break the way you did,
You fell so hard
I've learned the hard way
To never let it get that far

Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
Because of you
I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me
Because of you
I am afraid

I lose my way
And it's not too long before you point it out
I cannot cry
Because I know that's weakness in your eyes
I'm forced to fake
A smile, a laugh everyday of my life
My heart can't possibly break
When it wasn't even whole to start with

Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
Because of you
I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me
Because of you
I am afraid

I watched you die
I heard you cry every night in your sleep
I was so young
You should have known better than to lean on me
You never thought of anyone else
You just saw your pain
And now I cry in the middle of the night
For the same damn thing

Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
Because of you
I try my hardest just to forget everything
Because of you
I don't know how to let anyone else in
Because of you
I'm ashamed of my life because it's empty
Because of you
I am afraid

Because of you
Because of you

I have really tried to be the mother to my boys that I wish that I had. I don't ever want them to feel the way that I did. My mother / father, didn't know anything about me...didn't really care to I guess. I live and breath for my boys. I want to know and experience everything about their lives. The last several years have been a process of loosening the apron strings and letting them learn about life through experiences not just "because I said so". I love and respect every like, dislike and difference about them. I may not agree or like all of their decisions, but they are old enough now to see for themselves. The sooner they learn the life lessons, the better prepared they will be for the real world. I've always been a very liberal and open minded mother.

I love my boys so much and I never want them to doubt or question my unwavering and infinite love and devotion for them.

Truly.

For those of you that don't know what I do for a living, I am a dental assistant. (Spit-sucker extraordinaire) I've been doing this for 24+ years. Dentistry has been very good for me and I have enjoyed it. I have to admit that through the years, there have been times when I've felt burned out...but managed to find a way to inspired and find new life in my chosen field. A big part of my job is visiting with the patients and helping them have a pleasant experience. I used to be painfully shy...it was awful! Over the years, I've pushed myself and worked through my shyness. Now, anyone would be hard-pressed to ever, in their wildest dreams believe that I was ever shy. I could talk to a brick wall. I enjoy visiting with people...especially my patients and see them relax right before my eyes...it's like I'm able to make a connection with them. I understand that there are all different personality types and usually I'm able to gently find a topic that sparks the patients interest and so the "jibber-jabber" ensues. Every now and again I have a patient that is so shy or just obviously not interested in conversing. I typically respect their mood and leave them be. I know that sometimes I'm not in the mood to be social. I had this patient the other day, that we did a crown for, so he spent some time in the chair, I really very pleasantly tried to make conversation with him and he would just give one word answers to my questions and not even look at me. It's not like he was being shy, I know the difference. I checked his chart to see what line of work he was in, (sometimes you can find conversation topics from that) and saw that he was an attorney. (I have had very bad experiences with every attorney I have ever personally known or have been associated with). Well, usually, I would leave him alone. Since he was obviously being curt with me, I decided to bother him by continuing to try to make conversation with him. He continued to give me one word answers. I then started telling him all my silly kid stories, while I made his temporary crown. It's not like he was going anywhere before I cemented his temp. crown. I boasted about "my Spencer" and what a gifted football player he is. How cute he looks in his football "outfit". He got to hear about what a wonderful Trombone player Spencer is and how he sounds better than all of the other trombone players in the band. I told him about Trey and that he plays rhythm guitar in the church band. He finally gave me a sideways glance with a slight smile...I took that to mean that I had finally gotten through to him. I guess he could see I wasn't going to give up. He knew I was trying to make conversation with him. He started to open up and gave up that he was into photography and we talked a lot about that. Overall, I think he ended up having a good visit, as he got up from the chair smiling and thanked me. When he came back for his next visit, he was quite pleasant and social. I'm sure he didn't want to hear anymore of my silly stories. Okay, so I've been at my present dental office for a year now, and all this time I haven't had a key to the office. I'm one that has always gotten to the office between 15-30 minutes before patients so that I can get everything turned on, booted up and in it's place, with a few minutes to spare to get mentally prepared for my day. (once my day starts, I have to be "on" all day) Everyone at my office arrives either right at 7:00 am (first patient) or 1-2 mins before that. I am usually left waiting in my car for 15-20 minutes for someone to get there. I hate that. Over the past year, I"ve made little comments about not having a key, but to no avail. Today, he and I were the only ones left and I was running end of day reports and he made a comment about trusting me. I took that one and ran...I smarted back..."Trust me enough to give me a key to the office?" He said "Is that what you want?" I was all "yes. I would like a key to the office". He said "I'll get you a key to the office then." I told him "Well, I've been here a year, if you don't trust me by now, you never will". Of course, we'll see if a key ever makes it to my lil' hands. The other girls were with him over 2 years before he gave them keys. So, I guess that's a good sign.

Here's a cool something I'd like in my house:

I found this at a site called Fish N Flush
It's just the tank part and those are real fish in there. It's pretty
cool. It looks really cool when the tank lights are on. I think it costs
like $300. Okay, so it's not a "Must Have". But it definitely is a
"Loli-Want".

Okay, I don't know what the heck I did, but I just noticed that the images from my posts are not showing...AARGH!!!! This is going to take me some time to round up the images and add them back in.

To make up for it....For your entertainment:




Wasn't this guy great? I loved it. Hope you enjoyed it.

Toodles

Okay, so I'm really missing San Diego...What would it take to make San Diego my home? I go through this every year. Paradise withdrawals. I really miss the beach. I think the beach is the only place that I can true peace and tranquility. This photo was taken in La Jolla from my beach towel. I found a spot that was virtually empty. There was maybe 6 other people sharing this area with me. No guys in speedo's or kids running around screaming and kicking sand all over me. Tranquility.

Okay, so last night at about midnight, I finally finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I totally steered away from anything remotely resembling a spoiler. I had heard that J.K. was killing Harry off, since this was the end of this series, so I had come to terms with that fact. SPOILER!!!!!

I had also heard that 2 main characters were going to die. Well, the term "main character" is definitely relative. There was all kinds of death. I'm such a huge fan that every character is a "main character" to me. I was saddened by each and every death, but I have to say that I took the death of Fred pretty hard. It's one of those that I sat and just stared at the pages, thinking I had read something wrong. Then frantically reading the next passages, knowing that it was a spell or a trick and Fred was going to get up and laugh at everyone. Lupin and Tonks was a total shocker as well. That's like really tragic...they had just had their first and only child! Lastly, believe it or not, the death of Snape really touched me. I thought the time and detail JK spent on explaining Snape's back-story was long overdue and satisfying as well as totally plausible and understanding.
Okay, now the Epilogue...I totally loved. Clay had found the epilogue on the Internet before the book was released and sent it to me in an email. I immediately deleted it...then he sent it to everyone he knew. His friend Terry is a huge Harry Potter fan and believe it or not...Terry read the Epilogue!!!! At the time we had no way of knowing if the Epilogue was genuine or not. Still I can't believe he did that.
I'm so glad that I avoided all spoilers...it made the book much more exciting and touching. I truly had no idea what was coming and I relished every word. Back to the epilogue...probably my favorite part of the book (except when Ron came back). But then if you know me at all, I'm all about the happy endings, the silver linings and happily ever afters. I love that Harry named his children after the people he loved the most and that one of his sons was named Albus Severus.
Okay, getting a little teary-eyed...gotta close now.

Toodles